Orchid “Window Stories” is an interactive art installation that brings humanity and storytelling to a the public realm. Each window features different characters in silhouette, which are backlit with a scene of an apartment interior. When pedestrians pass by, they trigger a motion sensor that plays an audio track representing each window’s story: a mother singing to her child, a senior woman listening to opera accompanied by a bird on her window sill, a military serviceman strumming his guitar over the bleak hum of the news, a couple preparing for dinner guests to the tune of Coltrane.
This project is a refreshing alternative to painted wall murals, which have become ubiquitous downtown. It is flexible in that it can be moved to different locations and layered with new sound files and pop-up light projections. It was also completed on a shoestring budget in only three months, demonstrating that big improvements can happen with limited resources. “Window Stories” lights up a once blighted stretch of sidewalk and speaks to everyone who passes by.
Address:
North E Street between Park Blvd and 13th Street, San Diego, CA 92101
Project Owner/Developer:
Downtown San Diego Partnership
Contact Name/Email:
Alonso Vivas, avivas@improvedtsd.org
Project Architect/Designer:
POP/ARCH and Urban Interventions
